The countdown to the ban on the sale of new cars in Europe with combustion engines is unstoppable, and with it the race to offer vehicles with clean propulsion systems. With 2035 just around the corner, both traditional manufacturers and new entrants are scrambling to offer electric cars that appeal to customers in all segments. The idea is simple: whatever you are looking for, there will be an electric alternative.
Airways U6
Aiways Automobiles Company is a new Chinese manufacturer of electric cars born in 2017 that has just landed in our market thanks to the importer Astara. It currently sells the U5 compact electric SUVand in just a few months it will launch an SUV with a coupe body called the U6.
Its letter of introduction is a modern 4.80 meter body with a fantastic coefficient of aerodynamic penetration (Cx: 0.25:1) that hides a propulsion system made up of a 63 kWh battery and a single 160 kWh electric motor. kW (218 hp) with which the Airways U6 manages to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds; a good figure for a vehicle that weighs around 1.8 tons.
Its consumption ranges between 15.9 and 16.6 kWh/100 km, which allows it to travel 400 kilometers on a single charge of its battery.
- We like: Good aesthetics and a logical approach. If its price is not much higher than that of the U5 (about 43,000 euros), it should work well on the market.
- Your Achilles heel: Although the autonomy is reasonable, it is not very fast when it comes to recharging. With a fast charging capacity of 90 kWh, in the best of scenarios, in a quarter of an hour we will accumulate enough electricity to travel only 142 kilometers.
Toyota bZ4X
Toyota’s 100% electric SUV is one of the most anticipated models. It is offered in front or all wheel drive versions. While the former have a single electric motor, the latter have an electric machine on each axis. In both cases, a 71.4 kWh battery is installed, with which the 4×2 version reaches a range of 516 km, while the twin-engine Toyota bZ4X is content to cover 470 km on a single charge.
There are also subtle differences in terms of power and performance, with 218 CV for the 4×4, which accelerates to 100 km/h from a standstill in 6.9 seconds, an extra 14 CV that, together with its greater mobility, allows it to be 0.6 seconds faster than 4×2. However, dragging two engines has a negative effect on consumption, which goes from 14.4 kWh in the 4×2 to 16.2 kWh.
- We like: Part of a joint development by Toyota and Subaru in which each manufacturer has taken responsibility for the areas in which it has the most expertise.
- Your Achilles heel: It is only offered as a rentingwhich will inevitably reduce its diffusion.
jeep avenger
Jeep’s first 100% electric model is also the most compact in its range, with a size smaller than even the Jeep Renegade. It will be manufactured in Tychi (Poland), and its development is based on that of other Stellantis electric models, such as the Peugeot 2008, DS3 Crossback and Opel Mokka.
Initially, the jeep avenger It will have front-wheel drive versions, animated by a 115 kW (156 CV) electric motor and a 54 kWh gross battery (50.8 kWh net) with which nearly 400 kilometers of autonomy will be achieved. There will also be a gasoline version. Later, a twin-motor electric variant will be launched that will allow this Jeep to have all-wheel drive.
- We like: Jeep has not forgotten users who use their vehicles off-road, although it will still take a year to launch its 4×4 variants.
- Your Achilles heel: Unless we choose the gasoline version, the starting price is around 40,000 euros; too high for a compact model.
Hyundai Ionic 6
Don’t be fooled by the fact that it bears the Korean brand’s insignia on its hood. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 aspires to rub shoulders with models like the Mercedes EQE and the Porsche Taycan. To do this, it proposes a saloon body 4.86 meters long and a daring design seasoned with gadgets Futurists such as rear-view mirrors with cameras or folding handlebars to open the doors.
- We like: The version with greater autonomy allows you to travel no less than 612 kilometers on a single charge thanks to a declared consumption of 13.9 kWh and a 77.4 kWh battery.
- Your Achilles heel: In the absence of driving it, we like everything about this Hyundai, although its price is expected to be high.
Lotus Eletre
Everything is excessive in the lotus electric, from its size to its power. And it is that the first SUV and the first electric model of the British firm has a body of 5.10 meters in length and 2.14 meters in width under which two electric motors are hidden (one on each axis) that They develop a joint power of 600 CV and are fed by a 100 kWh battery.
- We like: Its great autonomy and charging speed. It can travel 600 kilometers without stopping, and thanks to its fast charging capacity at 350 kW, we estimate that in just 15 minutes it will be able to “rest” energy to travel up to 525 km if you find a charger with enough power.
- Your Achilles heel: Its excessive size will make it uncomfortable to drive both in urban environments and on narrow roads.
Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla’s media pick-up promises to reach our market in 2023, although it could be delayed, since deliveries have not yet begun in the US, where it can be reserved upon payment of a refundable deposit of $100 (around 102 euros, to change). There will be versions with a single motor (rear-wheel drive), with two motors (all-wheel drive) and even with three electric machines.which will allow not only to distribute the available power between the four wheels, but also to vary the distribution between the two wheels of the rear axle to improve traction and achieve a sportier behavior.
Apart from the fact that it looks like it comes from another planet, The Tesla Cybertruck’s body is huge, with a length of 5.89 meters and a wheelbase of 3.81 meters. Depending on the configuration chosen, Elon Musk’s firm promises a range of between 400 and 800 kilometers, as well as acceleration figures more typical of a competition vehicle than a truck, with a step from zero to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds.
- We like: Until now, Tesla has always been at the forefront of the electric car. He’s got enough credit for us to take every one of his future releases seriously, even if they’re as over the top as this Cybertruck.
- Your Achilles heel: Despite having been presented in November 2019, there is still no data on the power of its motors and batteries, which makes it suspicious that the expected date of commissioning of production will be met, in mid-2023. On the other hand, its Current design will make it difficult for it to be approved in Spain.
Cupra Tavascan
It’s still a prototype, but the Electric coupé SUV from Seat’s sports subsidiary It already has a release date. It will be in 2024 and will be based on the same platform already used by models such as the Cupra Born, the Škoda Enyaq iV or the different Volkswagens of the ID familydesigned for models with electric motors located in a transversal position in any of the two axes (or in both).
It promises to offer 306 hp and 450 kilometers of autonomy, as well as acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 6.0 seconds. At the moment there is not much more information, not even about its dimensions, although in view of the images it isIts length should be around 4.60 meters, which would position it as a direct rival to the Audi Q4 e-tron.
- We like: It will arrive with highly proven technological solutions, since its entire powertrain is common with models from Audi, Volkswagen and Škoda.
- Your Achilles heel: The prototype has four individual seats and lacks a gate. If the final model retains these characteristics, its demand will decrease.
VW ID. Aero
In mid-2023 Volkswagen will market in Europe the electric spiritual heir to the Passat. It will initially launch in China, and will offer three battery sizes, with 45, 58, and 77 kWh capacity. In the best of cases, the German firm expects to standardize a range of 620 kilometers thanks, among other measures, to its excellent aerodynamics (Cx: 0.23) and the use of a single electric motor, which in this vehicle would be located in the rear axle. However, it would be strange if twin-engine all-wheel drive versions did not appear in the future.
- We like: Its autonomy and its classic tourism line. In a market where there are hardly any models of this style left, you may find unmet demand.
- Your Achilles heel: Although in Spain it will not have an impact, the absence of 4×4 versions can weigh it down in the countries of central and northern Europe.
FiskerOcean
Fisker is a North American brand that, after going bankrupt in 2014, was refounded in 2016. For its European landing it has chosen a 4.78 meter SUV which has recently been presented at the Paris motor show.
The basic version (Sport) is powered by a single engine located in the transverse front position that develops 278 CV (205 kW) and allows it to have a range of 440 kilometers. The Ultra finish adds a rear electric motor, so it has all-wheel drive. It develops 400 kW (543 CV), and its autonomy reaches 610 kilometers. Finally, the Fisker Ocean Extreme also has solar panels on the roof capable of providing more than 2,400 kilometers of extra autonomy per year, offers 410 kW (557 hp), an acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and a range of 630 kilometers. It also has eight folding windows with a single press that allow the vehicle to be converted into almost a convertible.
- We like: It will be manufactured in Graz (Austria) at the Steyr factory where the legendary Mercedes G-Class SUV is currently manufactured, which is a guarantee of quality and will facilitate its distribution.
- Your Achilles heel: Like Tesla, it will not have an importer in Spain, something that will inevitably result in after-sales service.
Subaru Solterra
It does not yet have a definitive price, although the start of its commercialization promises to be imminent. Subaru’s first 100% electric model has been co-developed with Toyotawhich is responsible for the platform (called TNGA), electrification and everything that has to do with “advanced technology”, while Subaru has been responsible for aspects related to all-wheel drive, safety technologies and vehicle dynamics .
offers a body of 4.69 meters in length (which places it between the Subaru Forester and the Outback) and a long wheelbase (2.85 meters), something that results in enormous habitability, especially for the rear seats, and allows the batteries to be easily accommodated in the lowest and most central area possible.
With 218 CV, all-wheel drive and 71.4 kWh capacity, it provides a range of 466 km. Its maximum charging capacity reaches 150 kW, an intermediate value that will allow, in the best of scenarios, to recover 234 kilometers of autonomy with 15 minutes of connection to a fast charger.
- We like: It will offer good ground clearance (21cm) and true off-road capabilities, as we have seen with a pre-series unit.
- Your Achilles heel: It will be manufactured by Toyota together with the bZ4X and Lexus RZ in Motomachi, where the Japanese firm changed the history of the automobile with the manufacture of the first generation of the Prius. Not having control of the production of a strategic model is always an added drawback.